The Prince and the Pregnancy
by icings
Summary: Evil stepmommy and evil fake-daddy have both been defeated, the villains of the Enchanted Forest vanquished. This is The Happy Ending. And it comes with a pregnancy, a princess, and a possibly slightly overprotective (positively petrified) prince.


**The Prince and the Pregnancy**

She's pregnant.

Actually, truly, take-that-you-manipulative-old-bastard and you too conniving-evil-witch, pregnant. She's showing and everything; a tiny, but ever-growing, beloved little bump, that's just visible even when she wears her full gowns.

To a man, every individual in their service is now terrified of her.

Not that she's been a terror, or overtly hormonal, not at all. Snow White had been raised a princess, and aside from a particularly bratty phase in childhood - that she'd grown out of quickly with her mother's last lessons - fully bore the responsibility of all that her royalty entailed. A certain decorum was demanded; a princess must be all things genteel and lovely in front of her court. Certainly, no one had ever embodied this more than she; her people loved her, always speaking of her goodness, her loyalty, her beauty. 'The Fairest of them All', they whispered, and worthy of the title in all ways. She knew of it too, and though she didn't much care for it - it seemed too much to live up to - she always tried to be worthy of the way her kingdom saw her.

Even when she felt nauseous and uncomfortable and honestly kind of cranky. It just wasn't a thing she would ever allow her people to see.

And so, perhaps overcompensating just the tiniest bit, ever since Snow's pregnancy had been announced to the kingdom, the princess had been nothing but positively delightful to all who interacted with her.

Without question, Snow White had done absolutely nothing to inspire the kind of wary terror she is now regarded with.

No, that much would be the work of her husband.

* * *

It has to be said, that no expectant father anywhere had ever been happier to learn that their wife was with child; the servants who'd been nearby the royal couple's private chambers the night that Snow had told Charming of her pregnancy claim to this day that they could hear the prince's whoops of sheer joy even through the solid stone walls.

(Knowing as they do that rather happy noises are quite typical for that part of the castle, these rumours are accepted as absolute fact through the entirety of the service and staff.)

The prince, quite frankly, was thrilled to be a father, could not wait to meet his future son or daughter. (Snow had thus far proven to be quite adept at keeping this particular secret, much to Charming's play-offence). It was commonly known that all Charming had wanted his whole life was a family, and indeed, he had so many plans for their future, which he often liked to end a day describing in great detail to Snow's belly. All that he would teach the child, all that he would give him or her, all that they would do.

The child would want for nothing.

And nor, if the Prince had anything to say for it, would the child's mother.

The thing with Snow and Charming, is that they'd always been quite obviously madly in love with each other. True love - that kind of love so pure it's said to have magical properties all its own - so legend tells - is so incredibly rare and hard to find that most in the Enchanted Forest had come to believe it simply did not exist, that it was only the passing fantasy of stories and fables. So to see it with their own eyes, so obviously right there in front of them, it had been quite the surprise for many.

Their princess had returned to them, to take back the throne that had always been hers. More than, she had found her prince, and their love was absolutely true.

What a thing, their people thought. What a story, what a legend. What a love.

They were openly adoring of each other; affectionate and loving. Never inappropriate - at least not when they were aware of having an audience - but always so aware of each other, so in sync, so perfectly romantic that many of the ladies who would come to court could not help themselves but to sigh happily when watching the royal couple interact.

They were meant to be, was the impression that most who saw them came away with.

The thing with being meant to be - fated, destined, written in the stars, what have you - is that you don't come to love someone like that, to need someone like that, without a certain amount of protectiveness.

And Prince Charming needed Snow White more than he needed air to breath or water to drink.

Ergo, the protectiveness. The absolute, fierce, perhaps slightly over-the-top protectiveness that both Charming and Snow had felt for each other essentially from the very beginning of their relationship.

It's to be expected, really. They were courageous people, the pair of them. Selfless and strong, with hearts of lions. A bit headstrong, too, both all too willing to throw themselves into danger in order to keep the other safe. And their love for each other being as it was, it was only natural that they would be protective of each other. Always had been, always would be.

And then the prince had gone and gotten his wife pregnant.

Thus leaving the prince's naturally protective instincts directed towards his true love and first child both, rather inseparable for the time being.

It was impossible to estimate how many worlds there were out there.

But it seems quite likely anyway that none of them had ever seen anything quite like this.

* * *

It started innocently enough, arguably. It was known to be quite chilly in the grand hall at times. The prince insisting that the fires always be lit, that a pile of blankets always be within immediate reach should the princess feel discomforted by the draft, quite reasonable.

When he'd asked, somewhat testily, if the entirety of the eight-centuries old room could be re-stoned to make things warmer for Snow, well that had come of something of a surprise, but he'd been talked down by the princess quite easily, taking well to her somewhat teasing suggestion that it might be only slightly easier if she simply wore a thicker cloak on days on which she was needed in the grand hall.

The request to the kitchen staff that they begin including more of certain vegetables in meals because they're known to be good for the baby, reasonable. Forget the fact that they're wildly out of season in the Enchanted Forest and thus had to be shipped in from Agrabah at no small expense. Only the best - re: healthiest - for the princess and her heir.

Perhaps the prince's expectations for his family's comfort and security had put additional pressure on the castle staff, but they could handle it. It was the royal couple's first child. The whole kingdom was ecstatic. After all the hell the Evil Queen had reigned down on them all, this rash of truly good news was a joy for all the Enchanted Forest. It could only be described as an honour to be in service to the princess and prince; to do whatever they could for the baby-to-be. Nothing to be concerned with.

And then came the day, early in Snow's second trimester, when the prince had taken the rare action of actually leaving his wife's side.

A few farmers in one of the villages were in the midst of a land dispute, and the prince was known to take such matters seriously. He'd agreed to take the rare step to actually come out to visit the land in question, so that the farmers involved could each make their case in person. It showed remarkable dedication, and all those who knew of it had been more than a little impressed. Snow's chosen prince was gaining more of her kingdom's respect every single day.

The prince was fair, as he tended to be; the issue resolved, amazingly, to the acceptance of all sides. He'd found the closest thing possible to the perfect solution, and only the obvious rigidity in his posture, and the speed with which he pushed the journey, gave away how tense he was about being away from Snow. He'd been perfectly pleasant in every possible way, befitting the nickname that his wife had bestowed him with.

And then he'd returned home to find his pregnant wife wildly sobbing.

* * *

They'd made it back in record time, or at least, the prince had. His security team had found it difficult to stay caught up with their liege, though one of the knights had managed it; desperate to keep the prince safe (bourn of a terror at the thought of explaining it to the princess if anything had happened to him), sheer willpower had helped the guard guide his horse to remarkable speeds.

As it was, the remainder of the prince's guard had been left far behind, muttering to each other that they should enter the prince into the races at the grandest sporting events in the land, and tell him the princess was in danger at the finish line.

(Then bet, and bet big, on His Highness).

The prince was known to be an animal lover, so despite the fact that he was obviously in a rush to get back to his wife, he'd stayed late in the stables in order to speak to the stableboy and ensure that his exhausted horse was well taken care of.

From there, he'd gone on to find his wife, a particular talent of his. As beautiful a day as it was, sun bright and warm in the sky, he rather strongly suspected that Snow would be out in the gardens, soaking in the light and the heat.

He'd been right about that. (Knowing her well, knowing her completely).

But in his envisioning of the situation, he'd seen her completely content; that vibrant smile of hers - she could light up like the sun she loved - stretched bright across her face.

He'd not been prepared for her tears, for choking sobs, but that was what he found himself faced with as he reached her; finding her being comforted, tended to, by a few of her ladies-in-waiting, while several of the guard also stand by, to Charming's eyes plainly uncertain and on edge.

He does not stop to think, to question.

His sword is out of its sheath faster than those who witnessed it would have ever believed possible.

"What happened?" he demanded, of anyone, everyone, no one in particular. Focusing on Snow, he reaches out, touching her face with his free hand, the gesture so intimate, so loving, that everyone else immediately looked away for fear of being caught staring. "Are you hurt? Is it the baby?"

Snow shaking her head only calms him slightly, and only in one sense. In many ways, it actually only seems to infuriate him more, as he turns his suddenly furious glare to the others in their presence.

"Someone want to tell me who dared upset my wife?"

* * *

The thing with the prince is, he's always cut a rather imposing figure. He carries himself with pride, tall and strong, every bit the legendary prince.

And oh, he was legendary. Stories of his courage, of the things he had done had lifted his status damn near myth, save for the fact that there were so many alive who knew it all to be completely true. His were the rare heroics that required no exaggeration, for the facts were easily impressive enough. He never boasted of his accomplishments, would never need to, but everyone knew. He carried his legacy with him like an aura. All those who met him knew that for all his charm and goodness, this man could be deadly.

So, to put it quite frankly, being stared down by the man, ice cold fury in his eyes and sword in hand, it was not at all difficult to imagine how the man would have been able to single-handedly take on more than one dragon and come away unscathed.

"Answer me," the prince prompts, the command and the threat both equally obvious in his voice.

A maid squeaks. One of the servicemen manages to mumble something that would be English, if English were gibberish.

Perhaps it's the amusement of this that finally calms Snow's tears enough for to speak.

"Stand down, Charming," she says, affectionate even through some lasting sniffles. "No one hurt me, no one upset me. I'm quite alright."

"Quite alright?" Charming quotes, exasperated. "Snow, you were sobbing!"

She shakes her head, laughs a little at the absurdity, finding herself actually quite calm now. "Oh, I know. But it was nothing, Charming. Silly, really."

"Nothing that causes you pain is silly, my love. Can you please just tell me?"

She sighs. "There was a deer. A doe, here, in the gardens. Came right up close to me. She was so beautiful, and I hadn't been so near an animal in the longest time. It felt like I could just stare at her forever, but she startled and ran off, and I didn't want her to, and I got teary. And, you know, I'm kind of a little bit pregnant here, so a few tears was all it took. I was gone. Nothing terrible happened, no one hurt me, it's no one's fault. I simply saw a deer and fell to pieces."

For a very long moment, Charming simply stares at her.

Her lips twitch with the effort of hiding a smile. "You can put your sword away now, darling."

For the prince and princess, this seems to serve as some sort of cue; a grin spreading across Charming's face as he follows his wife's suggestion and sheaths his sword, and with that task accomplished, he glances back at Snow, the look on his face quite plainly seeming to ask 'Happy?', and that's it, that's all it takes, before the pair are both wildly laughing.

Just like that, the prince is his typically cheerful self again, wrapping an arm around his wife, guiding them both back towards the castle, an unspoken dismissal of everyone else present.

All was fine, all was well.

But enough people had been there that the story spread quickly, the learned morale widely repeated in the whispers of the castle's halls.

(Upset the princess? Run. Beware the prince's consequences, and run for your life).

(He'll destroy you).

* * *

Again, the prince was known to be a reasonable man. Good, kind… very fair. Truly, he was all things a kingdom could possibly want in a ruler.

It was just that his achilles heel, as was widely known, was Snow, and the wild, fierce - somewhat terrifying - protective streak he had for her.

With her now pregnant, it had just amplified it a level or two or five hundred.

Everyone in the castle, even the whole of the kingdom, the Enchanted Forest over, everyone understood. They'd been through too much to get to their happy ending not to be feverishly protective of it. Truly, they all admired the prince for fighting so hard for their princess, and that it was so entirely obvious that he would fight for her again, fight anyone and everyone. It was a trait worthy of respect.

So no, no one feared the prince, per se.

Everyone was just terrified of what he'd do to them if they upset the princess, that's all.

The issue of course being that the princess, being pregnant, would be rather more susceptible to becoming upset than the average human being.

Thus, the kingdom has come to this. An utter terror of their most beloved princess.

And one that, despite the people's best efforts at secrecy, the princess is very much aware of.

And very much intends to do something about.

* * *

In privacy, in total comfort, with his guard absolutely down, Charming is a beautiful thing.

Not that he isn't a beautiful thing always - he absolutely is - but it's moments like these, when it's just the two of them, and he's not wearing any of his ceremonial princely things, just an open-collared cream coloured tunic and casual black pants, that's when she loves him best.

Of course, the fact that he's got her head resting in his lap while he gently - always so gently - combs his fingers through her hair, that might have something to do with the whole loving-him-best thing. Gods, she's always, always, always loved it when someone plays with her hair. It feels so good, and is so relaxing, especially needed after the last few weeks of frustration.

And at this thought, she sighs, audibly.

Charming's hands pause in their actions immediately. "Did I pull on a knot?" he asks, genuine concern obvious in his voice.

And there, that's it, that's the problem.

She snorts. "You know you're being ridiculous, right?"

Seeming somewhat offended, he tilts his head as he continues to look down at her. "No?"

"This overprotective to the extreme thing you've had happening ever since you found out I was pregnant. It's ridiculous. Now, no, you did not catch a knot, so get back to it, it felt nice."

He's still looking at her somewhat suspiciously, but he starts working his fingers through her curls again, so at least he can follow instructions.

"I haven't been overprotective," he complains petulantly. "I've been quite reasonable, I think."

She laughs, wild and open, before sobering as she realized he was actually serious.

"Charming. You've got the whole castle terrified of upsetting me, for fear of your wrath."

"I have not!"

She cannot help scoffing. "When I had Ella over for tea this morning, the maids came in to tell us that the kitchens were all out of blueberry tarts. You would have thought they were bringing me news of the castle being under attack instead, they were so horrified. I actually thought Jill was going to cry."

Charming's face darkens just a little bit. "That's unacceptable. I'm sorry my love, I'll be sure to speak to the kitchen staff tomorrow."

"Charming!"

"What?!" he demands, playfully echoing her tone perfectly.

"That's not what I meant! … Or maybe that's exactly what I meant. Charming, what do I care if we're out of blueberry tarts? You know I'm partial to the strawberry anyway."

"Perhaps typically, yes, but since you've been pregnant you've been scarfing down the blueberries, and they all know this in the kitchens. They should be prepared for your cravings at all times. I won't have you unhappy, it's not good for the baby."

She just stares at him, unimpressed. "That's absurd. Charming, no kitchen in this realm could possibly be prepared for everything and anything a pregnant woman might want. Sometimes what we want - or what the baby wants - gets weird. We know this. I know this. And I think you know this too. We've been lucky I've just been unusually tempted by blueberries… though for the record, today I was all about the strawberries, so maybe that craving has passed. The point is, the staff shouldn't be shaking in their boots to tell me that they're out of a certain treat, when they're in the middle of bringing me a full platter with a multitude of other options."

"I just think that these next few months everyone should be making every effort to keep things perfect for you."

"I'm pregnant, Charming. Pregnancy is by definition imperfect, regardless of how hard the husband tries. I'm going to get cranky. I'm going to be uncomfortable. I'm going to have days when I'm made to wildly weep by the animals in the garden. And I hate to break it to you, my love, but there is going to come a time when I am in a terrible amount of pain and there will be nothing you can do about it besides listen to me shriek and probably threaten you with dismemberment."

He shifts uncomfortably. "I thought, when that time comes, maybe the fairies will be able to do something for you, to alleviate the pain, make it hurt less for you."

Gods, she loves this idiot.

"Magic has its limits, Charming, you and I both know that. The fairies won't be able to do anything for me in the midst of labour. And that's okay. Women have been doing this for hundreds of years without magical friends to make everything better. It's going to hurt. You're going to be scared. And I'm going to scream my head off, but you know what? We're going to get to have our baby after all of that, and that's worth it to me. You'll hold my hand, hold me, through the hard part, and that'll be all I need. I'll take care of the rest."

His gaze, intent on her face, softens considerably. "I know. I know you will. You're the strongest person I've ever met, Snow. I know you can do this."

She grins up at him then. "Damn right, I can. I can do all of it, I can handle anything this pregnancy throws at me. Which means you need to stop it with your own personal mission to have our whole kingdom terrified of me. There's no need for it."

Her husband, charming as he ever was, has the grace to look quite sheepish. "I didn't realize I was taking it so far. Or… I don't know, maybe I did, and I enjoyed it. Everyone's been taking such good care of you ever since I scared them all into it."

She can't help but laugh at this. "Charming, they'll all take wonderful care of me anyway. Our people adore us. And they will love our child. There will be no more beloved baby anywhere. Of course they're going to take care of me as best they can."

He sighs. "So, what you're telling me to do is, drop the overprotective act?"

Tongue in cheek, she smirks. "Well, I mean, it has some benefits. Lots of hair stroking, for one."

He shakes his head at her, but she can see the laughter shining in his eyes, and knows that they're just fine.

"Seriously, Charming, I love how protective you are of me, and of this baby. I feel the exact same way. It's our family, here, and we went through far too much together to get to this point, to not be on the 'over' side of protective. Just scale it back a bit, is all I ask. No more turning into the fearsome slayer of dragons in front of our staff."

"I think I can handle that."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Beaming up at him, her entirely too charming husband, she wraps her arms around his neck. "Seal it with a kiss."

"That I can definitely do," he says, muffled by the fact that his lips are already against hers.

Minor details.

* * *

His protective instincts did not quite go away that day, but neither expected that they ever would. He still made sure that there was a chair readily available at any function that required their attendance, so she was never expected to be standing for long. He would still offer her his hand for assistance anywhere they went, still kept a careful eye on the ingredients that were brought into their kitchens, often making special requests for items known to be nutrient-rich. He was still Charming, as he would always be.

But the prince had calmed considerably, noticeably to all, and in turn, so did the castle.

They always say that the personality of a kingdom is a reflection of its rulers.

Princess Snow White and her Prince Charming were a most adored royal couple. Their people would, and did, do anything for them, a mark of their love.

And the most joyous celebrations the Enchanted Forest had ever seen, were held on the beautiful day when Prince Charming held Snow White's hand as tight as he could, while she did the rest, in bringing to the world, their beautiful little Princess Emma.

* * *

_**Author's Note: As Starlight was for the Captain Swan shippers, so this lovely little thing is a holiday gift for my Snowing friends. I hope you had as much fun with it as I did. **_

_**Now, I shall finally turn my focus back to Freedom Love. I know I owe you all a chapter, big time. Please allow me to beg of you your further patience, as I use whatever spare time I can actually pull together (unfortunately I don't have much of it) to actually write the thing. **_

_**Thanks, as always, for reading. **_


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